A Peony's Deathwish
by nhannah
Summary: Pride halted Hiei from saving Botan from death. Given a deathwish, the once bubbly ferry girl has returned with a vengeance: kill Hiei [HieixBotan] [On Hiatus]
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi! This is the author speaking! Well... yeah. Anyways, this is my first attempt on a Hiei and Botan fic. It is not a oneshot, so I need you to continue. I know some of the characters might be OOC, but PLEASE people, imagine what you would be like in such a situation. All that said, please go easy on me and REVIEW!**_

_**Happy reading, folks!**_

_**REVIEW!**_

_**By the way, in case some of you don't know, I've used the word "peony" in my title, because that's what Botan's name means in English.**_

Botan hummed a merry tune under her breath as she skipped along through the grassy fields of a Ningenkai park. She was so excited! Finally, her uptight boss, Koenma, had been kind enough to give her a two week vacation.

Botan squealed as she began listing down a few things to do during her free time. 'This is great!' thought Botan, as she continued her journey towards Keiko's house. 'Two weeks is a long time – but I think I deserve it for the hard work I put in these past hundred years!'

Giggling, Botan allowed her cerulean hair to be swept gently by a coming breeze. The weather was so nice, and Botan had decided, if she was going to live in the Ningen World, she might as well try acting as one.

Suddenly, a different sort of breeze swept the clearing. Shivering, Botan realized that the breeze most likely marked the presence of somebody elses Spirit Energy.

'W-who's there?' Botan stammered, hands getting ready to bring out her trusty metal bat. By the feel of it, Botan could tell that the unwanted presence was most likely a demon of sorts. A pretty weak demon, but a demon nonetheless. 'Stay back!' cried the distressed ferry onna some more, her pink eyes glinting in fear. 'I'm warning you! I have a bat – a-and I'm n-n-not afraid to use it!'

Botan's eyes scanned her surroundings, her hands held an iron grip on her metal bat. She stood in a fighting position, ready to fight or flee when the time came.

Suddenly, Botan's head was jerked back. Her mouth was forced shut by a scaly green hand. A bad odor filled her nostrils, as she mentally forced herself to do something.

'What a pretty face...' another demon hissed out, laying a clawed blue hand on Botan's smooth left cheek. Botan shivered, unable to turn away, for her captive had her in a tight grip.

'Too bad,' said the blue-clawed demon, as he lifted Botans delicate chin up, so that she and the demon could see eye to eye. 'Such a pretty face would later look so awful.'

The demon traced Botan's left cheek with a clawed had. Unable to run or turn away, her smooth skin was sliced open, blood pouring down almost instantly.

The blue-demon's eyes flashed with greed and hunger. He was then later joined by a group of other, similar looking demons. They all held the same nasty look in their eyes as they grinned menacingly down at her.

'Ever taste pain, girly?' hissed the blue demon. It seemed he was their leader.

Botan's eyes widened when he, and the rest of the demons, started to bare their fangs. In a moment of drastic measures, Botan squeezed her eyes shut, and bit down hard on the demon's hand.

'Aaaiiiihhhh!!!' screamed the demon who had been holding her as he immediately released his grip on Botan to begin jumping around, sending a string of unheard of curses as he tended to his bleeding hand.

'Get her!' cried the blue-demon, and instantly, the rest of the demons started to flock around her, making a circle so that she was in the middle, unable to turn or run away.

Botan looked around her. Twelve. There were twelve large, ugly, smelly demons who wanted nothing but to see her scream and die. What was the chances of someone being able to hear her this late at night? – in the middle of a very large park? – surrounded by a group of ugly, 6-feet tall demons?

Chances were low, but Botan took them anyways. Taking in a really deep breath, Botan screamed at the top of her lungs, 'HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLPPPPP!!!!!'. The scream was so high, so intense and so ear-splitting, that Botan could have turned whoever heard it, deaf.

Botan was out of breath when she had finally done screaming. It seemed to have used up all her energy. Lungs sore, face pale, eyes almost halfway shut, Botan felt her legs give way to the exhaustion, and she suddenly found herself on her knees between a group of demons.

It only took a second for the rest of the demons to really, truly recover from the ear-splitting scream. Once they had recovered from the shock, and their ears were functioning at normal frequencies, they continued on where they had left off. Their frowns of displeasure were replaced with their grins of lust and greed.

Botan's eyes were clouded, but she could still see them. They had whips and sharp objects, and they weren't hesitant when it came to hurting her.

Botan released a tortured gasp, as she felt the sting of a hot, leather whip against her thigh. Blood poured out.

The demons guffowed at her tortured state, then continued to hurt her. They used very thin wires, that seemed lethal when used, whips, blades and even blocks of wood and rods of hot metal.

Botan felt tears slide down her cheeks as she released yet another choked cry. She was unable to shout or scream anymore, because she had used up all her voice on the scream before. Botan winced beneath the pain of a metal rod whacking the back of her neck. She still couldn't believe it... why hadn't anyone heard her???

It was then that Botan realized a misplaced shadow in the trees. Botan winced, trying to make it out. It looked darker than the shadows that surrounded it, and released a demonic aura that Botan was instantly familiar with – Hiei!

Hope welled through Botan's throat. A sudden burst of energy ran though her veins.

It was Hiei! Hiei came to save her!

Botan waited, all the while her body was shredding more and more. Botan waited for what seemed like hours, but still, Hiei did not burst heroicly out of the shadows in attempt to save her pleading soul. He just stood there, his harsh, blood-red eyes focused on her desperate state.

More whipping. More cutting. More whacking... and finally, Botan could not take it anymore. Warm tears ran down her ckeeks, blending with the trail of hot blood the demons had made for her. Botan's entire body crashed to the ground this time. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head. The last feeling Botan could remember before her eyes snapped shut, was a feeling of destructive rage... Rage and hate towards a certain fire demon with ruby-red eyes...

'Hiei...' Botan growled before her world turned black.

As all this unravelled before him, Hiei Jaganshi was trying to control the deep urge that came from within. Hiei's urge to pounce out of the darkness like a wild animal, and kill all those who were involved in her attack was almost undeniable.

But Hiei knew, deep in his heart, that he shouldn't. Pride and honor meant everything to him. Killing those demons for the sake of a _baka ferry onna _was disgusting. She was, after all, just a pathetic ningen spirit who was far too cheerful for words. Hiei cringed, his mouth forming a very animal-like snarl. In his world, people like her should have been dead long ago.

Finally, once Hiei saw Botan crash to the ground, body limp, he decided he had had enough. He leaped out of the shadows, hand gripped tightly on the smooth hilt of his beloved katana.

Hiei unsheathed the katana.

All the demons involved with Botan's torture were killed in a bloody massacre. They didn't even have the chance to fight back before they were decapitated. Blood sprouted out of the place their heads should have been. They were killed unmercifully.

After all that had been done, Hiei re-sheathed his blade and moved towards the limp form in the middle of all the death. Hiei's heart ran a mile a second, as he stood frozen over the baka onna's retired form.

'Onna!' Hiei said venomously, kicking her gently with the edge of his shoe. He was never good at things like this. 'Onna! Get up, you baka, the demons are gone!'

Hiei turned pale when he realized that Botan did not get up. He crouched down to inspect her. Even beneath all the blood and grime, Botan still looked like a work of art in his eyes. Her cerulean blue hair poured down her back in what Hiei considered a cascade, like a waterfall. Her delicate lips were petruded in a frown and her closed eyes looked almost as if she were angry.

Hiei paused, taken aback by the anger-filled expression on her face. He wondered what had caused her so much pain...

After minutes of just _sitting _there, admiring her entire form, Hiei started to panic. The panic was well hidden, except for his eyes which looked like he would break down any second.

'Onna...!' he hissed, desperately. 'Get _up!_'

Hiei bent down even lower, doing something he never imagined he would do. He put his ear to her chest, praying madly for a sign of life.

... Nothing.

Hiei sat like that for what seemed like hours before his brain mastered the courage to conclude that she was _dead._

'Could she do that?' thought Hiei, as he clutched desperately onto the sleeves of her blood-drenched kimono. 'Could the dead die again?'

Hiei didn't want to know. He got up and scooped her up in both his arms, surprised at how light she was to handle. He kept moving. Praying. He felt something wet and hot form in his eyes. Hiei moved faster.

Suddenly, Hiei was moving so fast that the world seemed to be nothing but a blur of colour. Wind swept his sweat-drenched hair. The burden of her death did not lift his shoulders. So he moved even faster. Hiei moved so fast, he seemed to be breaking even his limits. The laws of physics were dropped entirely as Hiei prayed and prayed, hugging Botan's limp form for warmth.

'Please onna...,' thought Hiei desperately, wishing he hadn't been so stubborn. Wishing he had dropped his need for pride and honor, to have saved her earlier. 'Please... _Botan_... don't go... don't...'

Hiei stopped when he realized where his feet had taken him to. It was in a small, shadowed, and discrete area, one that Hiei doubted the rest of the world had ever found. Here, Hiei pushed away all the thorns and leaves, laying Botan's dead body on the dew-stained grass.

She was dead, and it was all _his _fault. Here, where nobody could see him, he cried. Tear gems formed from his eyes, dropping onto the grassy earth.

In this sactuary, Botan was laid to rest. Hiei promised to come visit her every day. It was, after all, the least he could do for letting her _die. _

**_I know what you're thinking: How COULD he?! Well, like I said earlier, this is not a oneshot. Its not even a twoshot, infact. Don't worry. I won't leave Botan dead before the story even begins! It is a Hiei/Botan fic after al! ;) _**

_**Anyways, how was it? Was it good? Bad? Too short?? Too long???**_

_**Please post your comments along with your reviews! Give me at least 8 reviews and I'll give you the next chapter (you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours).**_

_**You must, must, MUST review. But please bear in mind that this is my first attempt.**_

_**REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**_

_**Go on. You know you want to.**_


	2. Reawakening

_**Yellop! Me again! Yay! I'm so glad I had finally gotten to writing this. Although I didn't get as many reviews as I had wanted , I will not let my wonderful, wonderful reviewers down. **_

_**To those who had just read, and not bothered to review: Shame, shame on you! I know you exist, coz I've got LOADS of hits (186+!). Why can't you guys just REVIEW? I mean, we, the authors, slave all day (or in my case, night) on our work, the least you could do is leave a nice little word of compliment!**_

_**But thanks to all those who had reviewed anyways! I'm very, very glad you like! Please, please, please don't forget to review this one either.**_

**_PS; this time is _MUST _get at least 8 reviews of I WILL NOT CONTINUE._**

_**That said, REVIEW:)**_

Azure-pink eyes opened to the coolness of the midnight wind. The eyes, which had once been so bright and full of mirth, now seemed sorrow and empty.

A transparent body awoke and was lifted out of its lifeless, physical counterpart.

Botan stood up, feeling the sensation of loss overwhelm her senses.

'This is my second time...' said Botan in her spirit form, lowering her eyes towards her physical body. Tears rolled down the cheeks of the spirit woman, but Botan failed to experience the sensation of grief; all she knew now was that she had died... and it was _his _fault.

'Botan?' a voice suddenly exclaimed, breaking Botan's train of thought.

Botan swirled around, only to come face to face with another Deity of Death.

'Ayame?' said Botan, as though the name sounded foreign to her.

The questioned ferry-girl, Ayame, looked from Botan's spirit-form, to the dead body lying neatly on the ground, with wide, uncertain eyes.

'Is this... do my eyes decieve me?' said Ayame, timidly moving up to Botan and pushing her hand right through the spirit-girl's chest. Ayame gasped, jumping back.

Botan slid on a fake grin as she remarked, 'So Koemna sent you, huh?', like it was the most natural thing in the world. If one hadn't caught on to her words, one would have thought she was merely talking about the surrounding weather or so.

'Yes, he did,' said Ayame, trying to mask her uneasiness with her usual look of cold nonchalance. She failed miserably. 'But I had never expected – you of all people!'

The smile never left Botan's face when she shrugged.

They stood like that for a while longer. Standing in complete silence, Botan had taken her time in wiping the smeared blood from her face with the sleeve of her kimono, while Ayame just stood, staring, transfixed on the dead figure of Botan on the ground.

'...How...?' said Ayame at last, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

Botan looked up from what she was doing. Although she had managed to wipe most of the blood of her face, there were still traces of it around her eyes and lips. The bloody effect only added to the sardonic look on Botan's face, as her eyes flashed out of fury and hate, and she menacingly hissed out the name, 'Hiei...'

Ayame gulped silently, taken aback by the fear that made her spine tingle after Botan had said that.

'Umm...' said Ayame, eyes darting to a tree..., a bush..., anything but Botan's sharp, unmerciful gaze. 'I suppose we should go now. Koenma... I'm sure he'd like to know.'

Botan nodded, dropping the fiersome look and nasty tone of voice, as she climbed onto the back of Ayame's oar.

The ride to the Spirit World didn't take long, and the two women had spent the entire journey in silence; one because she was much too afraid of the look she had gotten before, and the other because she was far too contempt on planning revenge towards the one she had considered guilty for her death.

Once they had finally arrived, both women slid off the oar and proceded towards Koenma's office.

'Perhaps,' said Ayame, ceasing Botan from entering the two large doors that separated that now separated them from the Prince of the Spirit World. 'You should wait outside first. Knowing Koenma-sama, the news won't be taken very likely.'

Botan nodded in understanding, stepping back from the entrance way to allow Ayame to pass.

As Ayame dissapeared through the door, Botan took a seat on one of the few chairs at the waiting lounge. Before she could ease herself properly enough, however, the a thunderous scream – one that she recognized as her boss' – broke the sound barrier of the entire Spirit World.

'WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTT????!!!!!' came the ear-splitting scream of the toddler.

Botan smiled inwardly, taking that as her cue to enter.

'BOTAN!' exclaimed the shock-stricken baby prince from his desk as Botan entered the room. 'Are you all right? What happened?'

Botan ceased his noisy ramblings with a soft, yet bitter smile.

'I died, Koenma-sama, that is all,' she said simply, as though the whole ordeal meant nothing.

Bowing politely to her superior, Botan awaited her invitation to take a seat. Once she had received confirmation she was looking for, Botan silently slid into one of the seats in front of Koenma's desk. Ayame took this precise moment to leave.

'Botan, please, explain!' demanded Koenma, his eyes practically popping out of his skull.

Botan recited her death scene in the shortest way she could, watching, with pleasure, how Koenma reacted exactly as she hoped he would on Hiei's behalf.

'I'll KILL him,' muttered the toddler prince menacingly, as he punched his right fist into the palm of his left hand.

Taking this moment to her advantage, Botan dared herself to voice the favour she had been so longing to ask from him.

'K-Koenma-sama?' said Botan timidly, as she averted her eyes from the anger-filled ones of her boss. 'D-do you mind if I... voice... a... a last favour... you know, before... I... pass on?'

Koenma blinked, momentarily forgetting his rage. 'What?' he snapped. 'You mean like a deathwish?'

Botan looked up from the torn sleeves of her blood-drenched kimono. A terrible look, one that Koenma was unsure of, fleeted pass her pink eyes, making the Prince of Hell himself shudder involuntarily. 'Exactly...'

'W-what?' said Koenma, uncertainty creeping over him. _'Is this really the same Botan?'_

'Please, Koenma,' said Botan, now locking her gaze with her boss, rendering him unable to turn away. 'I would... like to take revenge on my murderer.'

'What? The demons?' thought Koenma, though deep down he knew exactly what she was talking about. _'She wants to take revenge on Hiei...'_

'What are you going to do?' enquired Koenma, hastily making sure he kept his voice free from any stuttering.

'Why...' said Botan, very, very softly, the look in her eye now clearer that ever. 'I want to _kill him_, of course.'

Koenma had to literally catch himself from falling over. 'Botan?' he thought to himself. 'KILL?? Who IS this girl?' but out loud, Koenma had the decentcy to somewhat keep his composture.

'You, more than anyone, knows that killing is unacceptable, Botan,' said Koenma outloud instead. He had his hands clasped and resting on the surface of his desk. He wore a look of proffessionalism to keep himself from exploding outwardly.

Botan nodded in understanding, but her eyes still shone with that same, ruthless, unmerciful gleam. 'I will fully accept the consequences of my crime, Koenma.'

The two locked gazes for a long time. Koenma took this silence to fully process all that was being told before him. He also took this time to study her face – to search for any sign of reluctance or uncertainty. There was nothing. Nothing but the cold, heartless fact:

_She really does want to kill him._

At this, Koenma was still very shocked. For all his years of knowing Botan, he had never thought of her as the type of person who would seek revenge. She was always a sweet girl. Polite, kind, optimistic... what happened to that Botan?

But, then again...

As Koenma moved from her stoic, stubborn eyes, towards her blood-stained kimono, sweat drenched sky blue ponytail, shredded skin, and the many bruises and burns that caked her fair body, another conclusion was made.

_Of course _she would want revenge? Who wouldn't? He had watched her _die _for goodness sake! And it was the fault of her optimism to put so much faith into him.

'In fact,' Koenma mused in his mind. 'If she hadn't offered to do it, I would've gone and killed him myself!'

Finally, after a few long, tormenting minutes of silence, Koenma said; 'How...?'

Botan didn't need to ask him what he meant by that. She knew him long enough to know exactly what was going on in that round, baby head of his.

Hiei was a ruthless, ex-convict. He posessed the almighty Jagan eye. He was a fire demon. He was the sole weilder of the Dragon of the Darkness Flame. Plus, he had super accuracy and mighty strength. How was she, Botan, Ferry Girl, going to match up to his standards? Much less, kill him?

Botan smiled at the bitter irony of it all.

'I'll find my way, Sir,' she said at last.

Koenma stared at her a while longer; but this time with eyes that shone with worry. It was as if he was desperately begging for some sign of reluctance in her choice. But Botan had made up her mind. She wasn't one to turn back either.

With a great, heavy sigh, Koenma said, 'Botan, as one of my top Ferry Girls, you a permitted to carry out one wish... I will grant you a new body, and return you to the living.'

Botan's eyes sparkled with something other than hate, rage, and bitterness for once. A new light shone through her cotton-candy pink eyes. A new sensation: _Excitement._

Suddenly, Koenma turned grave, and he looked a lot older as he continued his speech. 'However,' said he, speaking as if he was sucking on something bitter. Making the decision as one of the downfalls of his position as Prince of Hell. 'If you were to carry out this evil deed... neither I, nor anyone else from the Spirit World, can assist you from your consequence. Your loyalties to the Spirit World will be cut off entirely if you choose to proceed...'

Botan gave her boss a hard, determined stare. Her eyes seemed focused on the task at hand, and her jaw was unmistakably proving her determination for the job.

With another, very deep sigh, Koenma got up, transformed into his teenage form, and motioned for Botan to follow him.

Botan got up without a word and allowed him to lead her into a bright, shining blue room. She stood, transfixed, at the entrance at first, as though absorbed by the many orbs of light dancing around inside.

'Step inside, Botan,' said the now teenage Koenma gravely. 'It will replace the body you have now so that you may return to the living with it.'

Botan's eyes flew to Koenma's face at once. 'But, Sir,' said she, looking as though she did not plan this. 'If... possible... I had wanted to return with this body. To show, Hiei...'

Koenma gave Botan a hard look. 'The room will determine exactly what look you will come out with.'

Sighing inwardly at the fact that she would not get her wish, Botan stepped inside.

Bright, multi-coloured flashes encircled Botan's old body. The coloured orbs of lights twisted and twirled around Botan; as though doing a mad ritual dance. Botan shut her eyes, taking in the sensation of surreal bliss as the the locks of her sky-blue hair was lifted up, as if by an invisible wind. Botan's kimono started to writhe away until it had turned into dark, black ash. Botan's long, slender arms were lifted to her side as well. Botan released a deep, anguish-filled sigh as she allowed the light to take her.

A bright whit flash...

A pair of feminine eyes started to blink, as though trying to adjust to the light that surrounded them. Once the all the light had died down, the pair of eyes were finally able to focus; allowing anyone that stood there a clear vision of their irises.

Botan got up unsteadly, and wobbled for a bit at one spot.

Moaning, the ex-ferry girl tried to recall what had happened. After the moment of unstable emotion had passed her, Botan quickly scanned her surroundings: a small, discrete clearing shrouded in trees and shrubs. Carpeted in soft, dew-stained grass. It was probably still night time, or perhaps, very early in the morning. Botan recognized the place as where she had encountered her own, dead body sprawled tidily on the ground just a while ago.

However, Botan was no longer dead now. Far from it.

As Botan moved up to the closest river available, she darted her eyes downwards, to inspect her reflection in the water.

Botan heaved a sigh of relief at what she saw. Basically, everything was pretty much the same. The only few apparent differences, however, was her eyes, which had gone a much deeper shade of pink. Plus, she seemed far paler than she was before, as though she had the blood drained right out of her. Lastly, her outfit. Instead of wearing her usual light pink kimono, Botan was now robed in a dark, crimson coloured kimono.

Botan twirled around as any other girl would when inspecting themselves in a mirror. The only trace of her murder that she still kept, was a long, deep scar at that ran all the way up her left arm. She touched it gently, eyes hardening at once.

She was glad that the lights in the room had allowed her to keep at least one of her scars. Now, if ever she found herself dawdling, she would just look down at her arm, and keep her mind on the mission:

_Revenge._

_**Ooookay. Now THAT was a long one.**_

_**I'm so, SO sorry. I know my work on this chapter stinks worse that crap itself, but I was kinda in a rush to get it done. You see, if I take my time, I'd probably end up not writing at all.**_

_**Oh, shit. I really hate this chapter. Please review and comment me about it.**_

_**If I don't get a good response, I think I'll just delete this chapter all together. :(**_

_**REVIEW!!**_


End file.
